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Crashworthiness testing by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has resulted in the new generation Impreza gaining the top five-star ranking for occupant safety.

It joins Subaru’s constant All-Wheel Drive Forester, Liberty, Outback and Tribeca with ANCAP’s highest possible star rating.

Impreza has also achieved the top four-star pedestrian rating.

This makes it the first locally tested car to achieve the maximum double star rating and only the second car worldwide.

ANCAP is backed by all the nation’s motoring organisations and statutory transport bodies.

Nick Senior, Managing Director, Subaru Australia, said: “Safety is a major consideration during the vehicle purchase.

“It is now undeniable that we are producing some of the safest vehicles in the world.

“This new Impreza has five-star occupant safety and four-star pedestrian safety partly due to its passive safety features.

“Then there is an excellent active safety story – All-Wheel Drive and Vehicle Dynamics Control.

“This should be a major influencer for not only private buyers, but government and statutory authorities.”

He added: “These ratings are testament to the superb engineering of Fuji Heavy Industries, the maker of Subaru cars, and our own Australian engineers, who have worked closely with their Japanese counterparts to ensure every car in our range offers optimum crash protection for occupants.

“Safety has been a long-term commitment for Subaru and we’re delighted to gain five stars for every car in the range.

“Innovations such as the Vehicle Dynamics Control stability system are standard across the entire Impreza line-up and across 70 per cent of our entire range, with the remainder to follow within 12 months.

“Subaru has consistently brought new safety features to the market at a rapid rate and that’s reflected in the latest ANCAP results.

“These cars are designed for real-world conditions and it’s a tremendous bonus to see them performing so well in ANCAP’s rigorous testing too.

“These results show that safety doesn’t have to come with a price premium.”

ANCAP’s ratings are recognized by equivalent organisations in the U.S.A., Europe, Japan and Korea, where crash testing is also performed and results shared with Australia.

Crash test procedures include a frontal offset crash at 64km/h, a side impact test at 50km/h and a pedestrian test, which indicates likely injuries to a person hit by a vehicle travelling at 40km/h.

Vehicles can also undergo an optional pole test, where the car travels sideways at 29 km/h, striking a round pole lined up with the driver’s head. This measures the effectiveness of head protecting side airbags and can result in extra points being scored.

All five Subaru models have undergone optional pole testing.

New Impreza achieved the following results:

Offset test:14.93 (out of 16)

Side impact test:15.73 (out of 16)

Pole test:2 (out of 2)

Seat belt warnings:2 (out of 3)

Total = 34.66 (out of a possible 37)

Pedestrian test: 27.76 (out of 36)

Subaru safety features

Among the safety features shared by every Subaru sold in Australia are:

• Constant All-Wheel Drive, for optimum grip in all conditions
• ABS brakes with four-wheel discs and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD)
• Child seat anchor points
• Dual front and side airbags
• Front seatbelts feature pretensioners and load limiters
• Rear door child locks
• Ring-shaped reinforcements surrounding the passenger cabin
• Front seatbelt indicator lights
• Side intrusion bars
• Three-point A/ELR rear centre seatbelt
• Audible warning if front seatbelts not engaged

New generation Tribeca and Impreza add Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC), which also features on every Model Year 2008 automatic transmission naturally aspirated 2.5 litre Liberty and Outback plus Liberty GT, Liberty 3.0R Premium, Liberty 3.0R spec.B and Outback 3.0R Premium.

Every Impreza, Tribeca, Liberty and Outback also has side curtain airbags for added front and rear passenger protection – a feature that has been progressively introduced with new generations of each Subaru model.

Backgrounder:

Subaru active safety

Active safety systems shared by all Subarus include:

Constant All-Wheel Drive - providing constant drive to all four wheels, aiding balance and control.

Anti lock brakes (ABS)- Subaru uses an ultra-reliable four-sensor/four-channel/three phase ABS. This means when brakes are applied on a slippery road, each of the four sensors – one per wheel – monitor wheel speed and transmit the information to a computer. It then calculates which wheel is starting to lock and controls the braking force. This provides extremely stable braking. Benefits include the ability to steer around traffic hazards when braking, without fear of “locking up” and losing control. The system has been tuned specially for Australian roads, reducing stopping distances on gravel surfaces. The brakes also have what is known as a cross-linked dual channel system. Therefore, if one channel fails, braking is retained on at least one front and one rear wheel – one left and one right, aiding balance. Subaru also puts its brake piping inside the floor panels – reducing the risk of damage or corrosion.

Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD)- improves rear wheel braking in response to load shifting caused by deceleration.

Vehicle Dynamics Control -All Imprezas, Tribecas and most automatic transmission Libertys and Outbacks have Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC). The electronic control unit (ECU) uses information from sensors tracking wheel speed, steering position, front/back and lateral (sideways) G force, and yaw rate to monitor forces that could destabilize vehicle running. In extreme situations, such as when swerving, sideslipping or entering a spin, VDC activates to control each wheel individually, via braking, engine output, and the All-Wheel Drive system. This improves stability by using the car’s most stable wheels. In cases of extreme oversteer, VDC activates, applying brakes to the front and rear outside turning wheels, producing yaw – a force that opposes the oversteering tendency. With understeer, VDC applies brakes to the inside rear wheels to counteract the effect. Both the VDC and ABS Anti-Lock Braking systems are controlled from the one digital ECU. VDC is designed for a “driver’s vehicle.” In normal conditions it is purely a monitoring system, and applies no control. But near the car’s performance limits it gives the driver more control – resulting in safer and more comfortable driving.

VDC in Tribeca also features the Traction Control System (TCS). It helps limit traction loss during acceleration on slippery surfaces. The TCS detects loss of traction by measuring the difference in rotational speed of each wheel. When traction loss is detected, brakes are applied to reduce wheel speed and spin. Engine power is also reduced to assist in regaining traction.

Subaru passive safety

Passive safety features shared by the entire Subaru range include:

Ring-shaped reinforcements – a grid of reinforced metal that surrounds the passenger cabin, forming a high strength safety cell. It results in greater body rigidity and minimum distortion on impact.

Dual front and side SRS airbags – They operate in conjunction with the front seatbelts to ensure maximum occupant protection. During a frontal collision, sensors measure the severity and angle of impact. The SRS computer determines if airbag inflation is necessary, then triggers if applicable. This occurs in about 30 milliseconds to cushion and absorb the forward momentum of occupants, preventing the head from striking the dash or steering wheel. Most Subaru models also have side curtain airbags.

Front seatbelt pretensioners - used to quickly tighten the belt on impact and remove any slack between the belt and body. This combines with a variable load limiter to improve protection in the event of an offset crash. This works by simultaneously tightening both the lap and sash of the belt when the front airbags deploy, reducing the “submarining” effect of the occupant in a collision.

Automatic Emergency Locking Retractors (A/ELR)- All rear seatbelts feature A/ELR. When fully extended, the belts ratchet back into position for more positive securing of child safety seats. The ratchet is cancelled when the seatbelt is fully retracted.

Centre rear seatbelts are all lap/sash, for added back seat safety.

Engine impact limitation - In a heavy frontal collision, Subaru’s flat horizontally opposed boxer engines are designed to go under the passenger cabin, rather than into it.

Steering wheel impact minimization - in a collision, a support beam inhibits the rearward movement of the steering wheel. The steering column is designed to collapse on impact, again to minimize transmission of shock energy to the driver.

Reinforced door beams and strengthened side frames - provide extra protection in a side collision. A secondary benefit of the high strength body is that it also provides a solid base frame for suspension, ensuring body flex does not affect vehicle stability.

Safety pedals - Safety pedals reduce injury to the driver’s lower legs in a heavy frontal collision. They are design to retract and move down.

Subaru’s five-star timeline

Subaru’s five-star ANCAP success began in early 2003 when it was announced that the Forester XS Luxury Pack had achieved the best-ever occupant safety crashworthiness test rating for a compact four-wheel drive – five stars.

The rating was unprecedented in the history of ANCAP. It meant the Australian Forester variant was officially ranked as the safest in its class.

It was also the first time any Japanese-built car achieved a five-star ANCAP rating.

March 2004:ANCAP announced that every Liberty and Outback model ranked five stars for occupant safety in crashworthiness testing.

September 2005:ANCAP announced that the five-star result had been extended to every Forester variant, after Subaru made side airbags, in addition to existing dual front airbags, standard across the range.

October 2006: Tribeca achieved a five-star crashworthiness rating for occupant safety from launch.

August 2007:New generation Impreza’s five-star ANCAP crashworthiness rating for occupant safety elevates Subaru to the only brand with five-star ratings for local specification cars across its entire range, plus a top four-star pedestrian rating for Impreza.